Snapchat has already provided the best solution to open up a new way of life with AR

The red frowning eyebrows and the drooping unhappy mouth corners, every detail of the crying face is just right, this is the "Snapchat crying face special effect" that has recently become popular on the Internet and has captured the hearts of netizens. The "crying face special effect" video from Snapchat has been played more than 600 million times on Douyin. Chinese netizens' love for Snapchat's crying face special effect has also caused major domestic social platforms to launch similar special effects.

The realistic degree of Snapchat's crying face effect has once again refreshed people's perception of AR effects.

Snapchat crying face effect

In addition to AR filters like the crying face effect , the well-known online try-on, online makeup try-on, virtual clothing, etc. are all products of AR special effects. AR and its commercial development have been getting closer and closer to us, subtly influencing the way we feel and experience the world, and leading a new change in lifestyle.

AR lifestyle starts with fashion

International brands such as Gucci and Chanel have tried AR applications, global fashion shopping platforms such as Farfetch have joined the market, and social platforms such as Facebook and Xiaohongshu have launched AR wearable experiences. The fashion industry, which is always at the forefront of the times, has also become the first to try AR lifestyle this time.

In terms of AR application trends, Snapchat is the first player in the world to introduce AR to social platforms. Since 2018, Snapchat has applied AR to enhance the camera experience in the form of filters in the APP. Over the years, it has formed more than 250 million daily active users of AR filters, and pioneered a green and low-carbon AR filter shopping experience that is different from the past. The smooth and fluent virtual try-on and fitting process has been widely recognized and loved by users, and even 74% of Snapchatters said they like to use AR for shopping.

AR try-on on Snapchat

Compared with previous online shopping, the AR experience enhances users' "immersion" and "pleasure" in online consumption, thus nearly doubling the shopping conversion rate.

Many fashion brands have also developed AR try-on filters on Snapchat. Prada's gesture recognition change filter allows you to quickly switch between different color combinations of items by simply shaking your hand in front of the camera; Gucci's AR shoe-trying experience allows you to try on shoes online in a dynamic and fitting way, and switch styles at will, allowing consumers to find the pair they like best. In AR online stores built by Hoka One One and Farfetch, users can go shopping online, try on various items, and enjoy offline life and fun in a virtual way.

Prada try-on filter and Hoka virtual store on Snapchat

Today, the total usage rate of AR Lens for shopping on Snapchat has exceeded 5 billion times. This AR application, which has 330 million daily active users worldwide, is constantly exploring more possibilities of AR and creating more novel life experiences for users.

Snapchat AR's answers are not limited to fashion

AR can not only create online shopping scenarios, but also a lifestyle and perception angle. Snap's continued development of mobile AR technology is the underlying logic for expanding the breadth of AR applications. Today, AR lifestyle is not just talk. On Snapchat, you can enter the world of imagination. There is nothing Snapchat can't do except what users can't think of.

AR+Music Festival

From online virtual concerts to music festivals, Snap applies augmented reality technology to live performances with more complex content, longer duration, and more gorgeous visuals. At the beginning of 2022, fans of international pop star Jennifer Lopez used their own Bitmoji virtual images to perform on stage with their idol at the world's first super-sensory virtual concert held by Snapchat, screaming and carnival. At the 2022 Partner Annual Summit, Snap announced that it will cooperate with Live Nation to create more live AR experiences. Why don't we look forward to an unexpected encounter with AR experiences at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Wireless Festival in London, Rolling Loud in Miami, and The Governors Ball in New York.

Snapchat uses AR technology for music festivals

AR+Digital Landmark

In 2019, Snapchat launched the "Landmarker" series of filters to recreate famous attractions in various countries, allowing people to "visit" classic landmarks such as the U.S. Capitol, Buckingham Palace, and the Eiffel Tower without leaving home. Snapchat's creative staff gave the landmarks creative AR interactive effects, such as the Eiffel Tower swaying left and right and spraying rainbows.

Snapchat Landmarker series of landmark filters

AR+film experience

Have you ever thought that one day the dragon from Game of Thrones will descend on the streets of New York! This is an AR marketing filter for the final season of Game of Thrones created by Snapchat and HBO. The sky is clear one second and snowy the next. Users are instantly pulled into the snowy battlefield in the TV series, restoring the true charm of the story.

Snapchat x HBO "Game of Thrones" AR effects

AR+Modern Art Exhibition

By turning on the Snap Camera function, you can see new digital installation AR artworks by Judy Baca and Kang Seung Lee, as well as AR art expressions by modern artists such as KAWS and Jeffrey Koons. In addition, through Snapchat AR filters, you can also see LACMA's AR art effects throughout Los Angeles.

Snapchat encourages more people to participate in the creation of AR, a new form of artistic expression. We can imagine that in the future, you don’t have to go to an art museum to see an exhibition. You can use a mobile phone to enjoy a visual feast at home, outdoors, or in a corner of the city.

Snapchat x LACMA AR Art Effects

But these are not all that Snapchat AR applications can do. We can also use AR to experience the performance of 3C products. Xiaomi used AR filters in its Middle East marketing to allow users to "experience" the shooting functions and excellent picture quality of Xiaomi models online, bringing a very high reach rate through a vivid interactive marketing campaign.

In addition, users can also experience the fun of offline games online through AR, use AR to remotely build Lego with friends on Snapchat, and make appointments for outdoor sports.

Snapchat users use AR to build Lego

There are no boundaries to the creative use of AR, and the excellent experience can only be attributed to Snapchat's continuous breakthroughs and sharing of technology.

The first big obstacle to the AR world

To explore more possible usage scenarios of AR, technology is the most basic support.

There are various constraints on technology sharing and communication. Snapchat has built and continuously innovated its AR ecosystem, allowing technology sharing to reach more creative workers, making it easy to use AR for imaginative creations. It will also benefit more brands, allowing them to enter the AR world at a lower cost and faster speed, and establish close connections with core audiences.

The just-concluded 2022 Snap Partner Annual Summit released innovative new AR shopping features and tools, providing brand owners with easier and more efficient AR marketing.

AR image processing technology has broken through the limitations of 3D construction, and the technical threshold and production costs are constantly decreasing. Brand owners can also easily create AR try-on filters using pictures. From the specific application of filters, that is, the shopping application link, Snapchat has launched a "Dress Up" interface in the application. The separate interface will effectively shorten the user's AR shopping and try-on experience path, and the return and trial and error costs of online shopping will be greatly reduced. It is worth noting that this technology can also be integrated into the brand's own platform. PUMA is the first company to test the waters.

PUMA uses AR to try on clothes

As far as the Snapchat AR ecosystem is concerned, user creation will be deeply introduced, expanding the participant dimension of the Snapchat AR ecosystem in the four major links of publishing, creation, content and monetization. The newly released "Director Mode" new camera and editing functions have enriched the diversity of the tool library centered on Lens Studio and Lens Web Builder, and overall have once again improved the comfort of each participant's AR creation journey.

Conclusion

As CEO Evan Spiegel said at SPS 2022, “AR computing combines the power of what we see and experience in the real world. AR enables us to use computing in familiar real-world environments, seamlessly integrating technology into our lives.”

Obviously, AR is gradually penetrating and influencing people's behavior through entertainment, shopping, social interaction and other dimensions. A visible and interesting lifestyle is quietly taking shape.

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AR

Shopping